“You joined LJ Electronics, right?”

“H-how do you know that…?”

“Your name is Lee Jung-jae, 32 years old.”

“!”

“Remember that. We’ll probably meet again soon,” Hwi-gang added. His voice was quiet but firm.

“W-what do you mean by that? Why should I ever see you again?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. Why don’t you go back now? Your bride is waiting for you over there.”

Hwi-gang said pointing at Seol-ran.

“Wait-hold on! How old are you? You look younger than me, so why did you speak informally when we met?”

Jung-jae demanded, trying to save face. Seeing Jung-jae getting upset, Hwi-gang just let out a small amused chuckle. 

“A man is not defined by his age but by his rank, don’t you think?” Hwi-gang said with a grin.

“R-rank? Were you an officer or something?”

Jung-jae asked, immediately thinking of military ranks at the mention of “rank”.

“I was already discharged. Military ranks don’t mean much anymore.”

“Then on what grounds do you claim to outrank me?”

Jung-jae asked, his voice filled with confusion and frustration.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Hwi-gang replied calmly. “But for now, enjoy your honeymoon. As soon as you’re back, your happiness will end and the real trouble will begin.”

“What the…? What nonsense are you talking about?”

Jung-jae replied, getting more and more irritated.

Jung-jae stormed off, blowing out a frustrated breath through his nose. He had intended to say something that would damage Seol-ah’s reputation and drive a wedge between her and Hwi-gang, but instead, it felt like he had just been slapped in the face. Feeling even worse than before, he walked away, completely defeated.

Hwi-gang returned to his seat, and as soon as he sat down, Seol-ah could no longer contain her curiosity. 

“Did I really tell you all that?”

“Yes, last night when you were drunk you told me everything from A to Z. You don’t remember?”

‘Of course, I don’t remember, that’s why I’m asking.’

Seol-ah thought with a frown. She took a big gulp of her coffee, almost as if it were alcohol, to hide her embarrassment. The more nervous she felt, the hotter her body seemed to get, and the steaming coffee only made it worse. I should have ordered an iced Americano instead. 

“So, shall we continue our conversation?”

Hwi-gang asked gently, bringing her focus back to the present. 

‘Oh my God. Look at this stubbornness.’

Seo-a thought, shuddering as she nervously licked her dry lips.

“As I said yesterday, I’m in a hurry, so let’s set a date for the family gathering. We agreed on that last night as well.”

‘Family gathering? Agreed?’

Seol-ah felt a wave of horror and immediately tried to back out. 

“No, I don’t remember anything from last night!”  

“It’s okay, I remember everything.”

‘That’s not what I meant!’

Seol-ah was left speechless and glared at Hwi-gang in growing frustration. She felt like she was talking to a brick wall – even more desperate. Her eyes darted around desperately, looking for something, anything, to get her out of this situation. And then a faint memory appeared. Seol-ah’s eyes narrowed slightly and her expression changed.

“I don’t remember you saying anything about a family gathering.”

“Oh? So you do remember? Were you just pretending not to all this time?” Hwi-gang teased with a mischievous grin.

“!”

Seol-ah froze in panic. That wasn’t what she meant at all, but now it sounded like she was admitting that she had been pretending to forget. Feeling cornered, she scrambled for an excuse.

“No, it’s not that I remember everything. It’s just that some of it has suddenly come back to me,” she stammered, hoping to recover.

“Got it.”

Hwi-gang replied calmly. Seol-ah couldn’t tell if he really believed her or if he was just nodding absent-mindedly. But his next words took her completely by surprise.

“Do you like the ring?”

“What? The ring?”

Seol-ah’s eyes widened in shock as Hwi-gang made a subtle gesture toward her left hand.

She quickly looked down.

“What the…? When was this here?”

There, on her fourth finger, was a ring. Instinctively, she recognized it as a couple’s ring. Her eyes darted to Hwi-gang’s left hand, and sure enough, an identical ring adorned his fourth finger as well.

“Damn you, alcohol.”

Seol-ah muttered, resisting the urge to tear her hair out. She took a long, deep breath, reminding herself, ‘Stay calm, even if you’re dragged into a tiger’s den, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.’

Clenching her fists tightly, she tried to think, but no clever ideas came to mind. Just as she was about to give up, a single thought finally struck her.

“Look, I’m really not worth your time. You seem to come from a wealthy family and I’m just an ordinary woman,” Seol-ah began, her voice wavering slightly. “I grew up in a normal household, went to an average university, and now I work in a small company with no big dreams or ambitions. Honestly, there’s nothing impressive about me, no matter how hard you look. I mean, I didn’t say all that when I was drunk, did I? I still have some pride left.”

“You told me everything.”

“Ugh!”

Seol-ah groaned, her voice cracking with frustration. ‘How much did I tell him?’ she wondered, feeling utterly humiliated. Even if she had been betrayed by someone she trusted, this was just too much.

The man continued, “I may not look like it, but I’m not the kind of guy who just sleeps around with any woman, especially…”

“Especially what?”

Seol-ah asked, her heart pounding in anticipation, not knowing what to expect.

“Especially when there’s this… undeniable physical compatibility between us.”

“Our what?”

Seol-ah echoed, barely above a whisper, her mind racing to process his words.

He leaned forward slightly, a playful grin tugging at his lips. “It’s amazing,” he said, his tone both teasing and sincere.

‘This man is really brave.’

Seol-ah thought, taken aback by how different Hwi-gang was from her first impression of him. In her fragmented memory, she had pictured him as a cold and distant figure – a man with ice in his veins, completely devoid of warmth. Had she been sober, she would never have dared to speak to him like this.

“You agree, don’t you?” he teased, his voice deep and determined.

“!”

Seol-ah’s cheeks burned at his words. As if the memories of last night hadn’t already pushed her to the brink, Hwi-gang insisted on holding her gaze, waiting for an answer. She had hoped the blackout would save her from the humiliation of remembering everything, but now more and more pieces of the night were coming back – especially the ones she desperately wished would stay buried forever.

While the beginning of the night remained a hazy blur, everything that followed was vividly clear in Seol-ah’s mind. She could remember the soft touch of his hands, gently tracing the contours of her n*ked skin. His lips had moved over her body, leaving a lingering warmth with each kiss. She remembered the way his mouth had slowly worked its way down, leaving lingering kiss marks on her skin, before settling on her br*asts where he had gently bitten down, drawing a sharp intake of breath from her. The memory made her heart race and her cheeks flush with heat, the intensity of the moment reliving itself in vivid detail.